Chirag, Suman emerge champs

With fitness being integral to their lifestyle, a chilly Sunday morning did not dampen the spirits of large number of participants who made their way to the TAD-2014 at the Delhi Public School on Sarjapur Road here on Sunday.

The event presented by FIT I AM, offered over 300 participants to test their potential in Triathlon, Aquathlon and Duathlon (TAD).

The competitive Triathlon, the main attraction of the event, began at around 8.00 am and after the completion of three disciplines -- swimming (200m), cycling (10km) and running (5km) -- Chirag C Kumbalgod of The Brigade School emerged winner in the men’s category, clocking 50 minutes and 38 seconds.

“One must enjoy working on fitness and show immense dedication if you want to emerge as an athlete,” said the youngster, who is also an Schools Games Federation of India swimmer. Amateurs and professionals alike, TAD gave platform to each participant to interact with Special Olympic gold medal winner Archana Jayaram.

“The event was brilliant and I enjoyed everything about it. It is important to stay fit and enjoy being an athlete,” said the 29 year old, who is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Archana won a gold and a bronze medal in cycling at the Athens Special Olympics in 2011.  
Age was no bar as reflected in the participation of people from different generations. “It is a case of mind over body.

Regular practice gives you the will to keep going even as one grows old,” said the 64 year old fromer national master swimmer Lalitha Vijayraghavan, who successfully completed the triathlon. The event concluded with more participants giving their best efforts in aquathlon (swimming-15m, running-2.5km) and diathlon (running- 5km and cycling- 10km).

Mens’ results (Competitive Triathlon): Chirag C Kumblogod 1; Sharath K 2. Women: Suman Singhi 1; Kiran 2.